Unbound
by Nineteen Cats
Summary: Being selected to perform the Purification meant she was no longer bound by the Five Tenets. But there's always a choice, and she would do anything to save her Family.


**Unbound**

When Ocheeva first told her Lucien Lachance had selected her for a special task, Celeste could not have been more elated. She had been working tirelessly the past few months, travelling all over Cyrodiil to spread death and decay in the name of the Dread Father, and it had not gone without notice. The Black Hand itself had need of her services now, and she did not dare to disappoint.

What warmed her heart most, though, were the encouraging words from her family. Ocheeva, who looked at her with pride only a true matron could exude; Vicente, who smiled so broadly his every pointed tooth was visible; Antoinetta, who fantasized endlessly about the mysterious task Celeste would have to complete; Gogron, who hit her back so hard her knees buckled; Telaendril, who delayed the departure for her next scouting mission to hug her, and Teinaava, who asked her to keep him in mind the next time her blade struck true. There was some envy, she could see it in their eyes, but there was absolutely no desire for her to fail, no malice from any of them. Well, except for M'raaj-Dar, perhaps, but she had never quite been able to prove herself to him. Perhaps completing this special assignment would do the trick.

When she left to meet with Lucien, she did so with a smile on her face.

Fort Farragut seemed little more than a crumbling ruin, a place of glory long forgotten, but when she entered, the catacombs came alive – with undead. It was a test, she knew instantly, and she would not fail it.

She crept through the halls, grateful for her small statute and enchanted armour as she slipped past the Dark Guardians unnoticed. She was still tired and sore from her last contract, having immediately rushed from the Sanctuary to her Speaker's abode once she learned of his need for her. Getting into a fight with the horde of protectors Lucien had enlisted was not the first item on her bucket list right now.

Having focused all her attention on the Guardians, however, caused her to miss the pitfall entirely. It was only by the grace of Sithis that she did not fall into the spike-filled pit headfirst. Celeste barely managed to jump away from the accursed pit, landing hard on her knees on the other side - and catching the attention of every single Dark Guardian in Fort Farragut.

She did the only thing she could do: she bolted. She could hear the sound of rattling bones as the Dark Guardians chased after her, but luckily she had already descended deep into the bowels of the fort before they had noticed her. She jumped over a suspicious-looking tile, hearing the satisfying sound of crunching bone seconds later as a Guardian failed to the same. She rounded another corner, and came face-to-face with an iron gate, barring her entrance from the next room. Celeste cursed loudly and hastily pulled on the nearby lever on the wall. The gate was opening, but the process was painfully slow, and Dark Guardians were coming at her from every direction. She summoned a fistful of flames to her hand, just in case, before ducking underneath the half-opened gate to try and gain a lead on her pursuers – yet incredibly, miraculously, they did not follow her beyond the gate. It seemed that privilege lay only with the living.

"I have been waiting for you, assassin," she heard the unmistakable voice behind her, and she whirled around to come face-to-face with the Speaker she had come to see. If he had taken notice of her clumsy entrance, he did not show it, and for that she was grateful. "We have not spoken in some time, but I am well aware of your accomplishments within the Dark Brotherhood. That is why I have sent for you."

Celeste grinned proudly, like a child being praised by a parent, though she quickly sobered up again when she noticed the dark look on her Speaker's face. "Thank you, Speaker. I will not disappoint."

Then he smiled, a rather melancholy smile that made her spine tingle with dread. "I'm afraid there is a... situation," he began softly, carefully. "The time has come to test both your skill and your loyalty to Sithis. The Black Hand has learned that the Dark Brotherhood has been infiltrated. By whom, and for what purpose, we do not yet know. What we do know is that there is some link between the traitor and the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. The traitor has tainted that place beyond repair."

The gears in her head were rotating painfully slowly as she tried to process not only the shocking reveal of a traitor amongst her Dark Siblings, but also... also... their Sanctuary?

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked quietly, her mind denying every implication in his words. "I am as much a part of Cheydinhal Sanctuary as any of the others!"

At this, he nodded. "Indeed you are, dear child. However, it was learned that the traitor has been active for quite some time, since before you joined the Brotherhood. That absolves you of any suspicion."

Ironically, stupidly, the first thing she felt at his words was disappointment. She hadn't been selected for this task because she was competent; she had been selected because she was the only possible candidate.

And then, like a ton of bricks, it hit her just what the task must be. "Wait," she said when it finally clicked, "you can't possibly mean...?"

"Oh, but I do," he murmured, and she felt her heart sink. "You have been selected by the Black Hand to perform the ancient rite known as Purification. Everyone inside the Sanctuary must die! You must break one of the Tenets you have sworn to uphold. I know this is an unexpected turn of events, but drastic measures must be taken. Ocheeva, Vicente Valtieri, Antoinetta Marie, Gogron gro-Bolmog, Telaendril, M'raaj-Dar and Teinaava. All of these family members must die! From this point forward, you are no longer bound by the Five Tenets! Sithis will forgive any murder, any theft, so long as you serve the Black Hand! When the rite of Purification has been completed, return to me here at Fort Farragut, and we will discuss your future."

Discuss her future... what future would she have after this? Even if she would come out of the Sanctuary unscathed, which she knew would be neigh impossible in the first place, what would her life be like without her family? Surely it would improve her standings in the Brotherhood, which would lead her one step closer to achieving her dream of wearing the robes of the Black Hand, a dream she'd harboured since she'd first laid eyes on them when Lucien had come to recruit her. But the price... By Sithis, the price was too dear. How could she possibly plunge a blade into her Siblings? Even if one of them was the traitor, which she highly doubted to begin with, she would have to take too many innocent lives.

She shook her head, trying to make sense of it all. "What's the point of Purifying the entire sanctuary when there is only one traitor?" she almost pleaded with him, as if she could make him see reason. "Why should others suffer for the traitor's misdeeds?"

Lucien smiled that melancholy smile again. "The Dark Brotherhood is an ancient organization. We have survived for millennia. Sometimes, to ensure that survival, drastic measures are required. The Purification is one of the most extreme measures we are forced to carry out. Indeed, it has only been carried out twice. Before now, that is," he explained patiently.

"But the Tenets –" she tried to argue, only to be cut off by her Speaker.

"The Five Tenets are the laws that guide and protect us. But, sometimes, even they must be broken to protect the sanctity of our beliefs. With a Purification, we cleanse the Dark Brotherhood of mistrust and treachery. Those who are slain are offered to Sithis as a symbol of fealty. And, hopefully, we kill the traitor in the process. Until the Purification is complete, no given Sanctuary will ever be considered secure."

She furrowed her brow at his words, churning them over in her mind, until a flash of inspiration struck her. "So… I'm allowed to break the Tenets? Without repercussions?"

"Without repercussions," Lucien confirmed.

She took a deep breath, quite certain she was about to commit suicide by Speaker, but she spoke the words anyway. "Then I refuse."

Whatever he had expected her to say, it certainly wasn't that. "You... refuse?"

"I refuse," she repeated firmly, though her knees were shaking. "If I am allowed to break the Tenets, I choose to break the Third."

She thought the only reason she was still breathing was because she had caught him unaware – perhaps, if she ran now, she could get a large enough head start to warn her Siblings.

But then Lucien sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He suddenly looked much older than he truly was, and Celeste wondered if he'd had those streaks of grey in his hair the last time they spoke. She was fairly sure he hadn't.

"You realise this is an act of treason?" he eventually asked, his voice dull and tired. "You may only break the Tenets if you serve the Black Hand. By refusing this order, you are refusing the Black Hand itself."

"I am aware," she nodded, choosing her next words with great care, "but I do not believe the Purification of our Sanctuary counts as serving the Black Hand. Our Brothers and Sisters are no traitors."

Even as she said it, there was doubt in her heart. She loved her Siblings, each and every one of them, but she hadn't been a part of the family for that long. How well did she really know them? M'raaj-Dar had never been anything but rude to her; he could be hiding in plain sight, his obvious disdain truer than anyone realised. Or maybe it was Antoinetta-Marie, who acted a little too happy-go-lucky; perhaps she was hiding her true feelings. And who knew where Telaendril truly went when she left the Sanctuary to go on her scouting missions? She certainly had enough opportunity to slay their brethren, if she so wished.

Nevertheless, Celeste reasoned, pushing the doubt to the back of her mind, there was only one traitor. And she would not be responsible for the death of any loyal follower of Sithis.

She would not back down.

Lucien seemed to realise this, too, and when he reached inside his robes, she was certain he would draw his dagger and end her life. She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes, ready for the cold embrace of the Void to take her.

Except it never happened.

When she opened her eyes again, her Speaker had moved to his desk. He rummaged around in one of the smaller drawers of his desk for a while, finally procuring a single large, brass key before facing her again.

"You truly believe in the innocence of your Dark Kin?" The question sounded almost like a demand.

And despite her doubts, she nodded. "Yes, Speaker. Wholeheartedly."

He studied her for some time, his hawk-like eyes drilling into her own, attempting to find a trace of hesitation. When he didn't find any, he wordlessly handed her the key he had just fetched.

"Summitmist Manor," he clarified when she raised an eyebrow, and then Celeste understood. If she could hide her Siblings from the Black Hand, at least until she and Lucien had a chance to find the true betrayer, they might just live.

She looked down at the key in her hand, and then gave her Speaker a curt nod, her resolve set.

Celeste had already turned to leave when Lucien spoke one final time. "Be advised," he warned, "that if you are discovered, you will die with your Dark Brothers and Sisters."

In other words, he would not help her if the need arose. With the rest of the Black Hand breathing down his neck, he likely couldn't even if he wanted to. "I understand, Speaker."

He nodded, then, and turned to his alchemy lab. "Walk always in the Shadow of Sithis."

And she would.

* * *

 **A/N:** I only recently played through Oblivion (a little late to the party, I know), and like many others I developed an intense love/hate relationship with the Dark Brotherhood questline. I loathe the Purification with a passion, and I wish there had been a way in-game to refuse the mission. Even if it was just a simple 'No Lucien, bite me' dialogue option which would then result in him insta-killing you. I understand the Dark Brotherhood is, well, dark, but damn it Bethesda, my heart, okay? So I wrote this to accommodate my little fantasy in which there is a way to save everyone and live happily ever after, because I am an adult who did absolutely not have to choke back tears when arriving at Applewatch, and who also didn't use the console to make Arquen unessential and then murdered her a few dozen times, because that totally didn't make me feel better at all. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my first story. Thank you for reading; any feedback is much appreciated!


End file.
